The Puppet Master and the Marionette
by Aion Rauchild
Summary: Evangeline is stumped. Why the hell would Kojima come back? And why now? Will her question ever have an answer? And what is this! Kojima pays a visit to Setsuna! See what happens inside!
1. Strings Attached

_**Chapter One: Strings Attached**_

"Cmon! We're gonna be late!"Asuna yelled at the top of her lungs as she ran out of her room, struggling to put on her shoes. Negi tumbled out of the room, fumbling with his glasses. "W-Where's Konoka-Chan?!"Asuna snapped, growling and gritting her teeth. Konoka poked her head out from the door frame, "Here!!"Konoka said throwing her right hand in the air with an open palm. Asuna waved her out, "Cmon! We gotta go! Hurry up!"Asuna shouted again as she rushed off. Konoka sighed, "Cmon Negi-Kun!"Konoka exclaimed as she roller bladed off after Asuna. Negi sighed, smiling slightly as he rushed after them. He stopped suddenly, feeling a pressure pounding down on him. His eyes widened, chills ran down his spin and all over his body. "W-What is this...? This pressure...It feels..."It suddenly disappeared, and he felt normal. "Wha...?"He looked around, where did it come from? He turned his head forward again and saw Asuna. "What the hell is taking you so long?! Cmon!"Asuna grabbed him by the collar and dragged him off. "A-Ahh! Asuna-San! Don't pull so hard!"

About Fourty-Five minutes later, they arrived and rushed to class. Negi took role then proceeded to start class. "Alright class, today we're going to be exploring the--"The sound of the door opening caused him to pause and look over. He saw Takahata with a girl standing in front of him. "Hello there Negi-Kun, I have a new student for you..."Takahata said with a smile. The girl was petite in size and looked shy, for she was somewhat trying to hide away behind Takahata. She wore the school uniform and had chin length black hair. Her eyes were a vibrant green and her skin was pale. "Oh, alright...Please come in,"Negi said with a warm smile. The girl nodded and looked up to Takahata, whom gave a warm smile also. She nodded and stepped into the classroom, Takahata left. "Well, everyone say hello!"Negi exclaimed as a eruption of voices filled the room, all greeting the new student, all but Evangeline of course. Negi smiled then looked back to the girl, "So tell us, what is your name?"Negi asked, tilting his head to the side. "My name? Oh yes my name!"She said with a sweet voice. She bowed, "My name is Kinami Kusanagi, thank you!"She said, standing upright with a large smile on her face.

Evangeline flinched, she had just saw something, something of course out of the ordinary. "Hm?"Evangeline cocked a brow, blinking as she stared at this girl. She could see a small black string attached to her shoulder, it led out the window. The pressure that had found Negi now found Evangeline, it was pressing down harder then it was on Negi for some reason. Her eyes grew wide, this pressure...This feeling...It was familiar to her, how she did not know, but it was familiar and close by. She quickly glanced around, Setsuna seemed to be noticing as well, the expression on her face gave it all away. She looked to Negi, he was feeling it as well, again the expression. She looked to the girl, this Kinami. She seemed to be looking right up at Evangeline, her eyes closed and her mouth shaped into a smile. It creeped her out, this girl...She was something else it seemed. She looked back out the window, she twitched. She could of sworn that she had just saw a figure rush by. Evangeline stood up, she wasn't going to sit and wait for this seemingly invisible person to show. Of course, Chachamaru stood up with her, following after Evangeline after she walked out of the classroom. Negi of course was stooped with her sudden leave, but he did not bother, for the moment at least. "Oh...Kinami, your seat..."

Evangeline found herself up on the roof, Chachamaru was standing behind her. "Master, why did we come up here so abruptly?"Evangeline held up a hand, the pressure was getting closer.

"So...Evangeline-Sama...You decided to come up and see me? Why, I feel special now..."A male voice said with a calm and smooth tone. Evangeline narrowed her eyes, she had heard that voice before, but where she did not know. "Show yourself!"Evangeline said sternly. Suddenly, a figure clad in black appeared in front of her, a large grin on his face. His attire was simple and a little over cliched, a black trench coat with a black shirt underneath. His leggings were jeans, black and his shoes were black boots. His hair moved down to his shoulders and was a solid black. His skin was fairly tanned, and his eyes were as red as blood itself. His hands were shoved into his pockets at the moment. Evangeline did not flinch, she just stared deep into his eyes, examining his features. It then came to her, she knew who this was. "Kojima Sarutobi..."She said quietly, her teeth gritting. This man, this Kojima smiled and laughed. "So you do remember me Evangeline-Sama! I'm touched!"He said with a smile.

"Master, who is this person?"Chachamaru asked, already on edge and ready to fight, although she didn't look it. "Kojima Sarutobi, the Puppet Master of Shadows...He was infamous back in his day, known as one of the most powerful Dark Magi's out there...Pray tell what you are doing here?"Evangeline muttered, adding a silent growl. "I just felt like seeing my old friend Evangeline!"He said with a grin. His face then grew stern, "And to say hello to Nagi Springfield's son..."He said with a deep tone. Chachamaru, taking this as a sign of hostility, rushed forward at an incredible speed. Evangeline jumped, and her eyes grew wide. "Chachamaru! No!"She shouted loudly. It was no use, she had already attacked and was now positioned a few feet in front of Evangeline with her fist outstretched and Kojima was out of sight. Evangeline blinked, looking about, he was still here; she could sense it, but where? "Wow, fast!"She heard him say. He appeared in front of Evangeline, a bit closer this time. His hands were out now and his arms were crossed over his chest, both hands were open and his fingers were strained. "This is where one gets punished..."Kojima said silently, he grinned as his right finger flicked upward. Suddenly, Chachamaru's right arm was ripped from it's socket violently and was thrown into the air. His grin grew wider as his hands became relaxed and Chachamaru fell to the ground.

Kojima glanced back at her, seeing the arm laying on the ground. "Ohh! A robot eh?"He laughed. "The technology nowadays! How advanced!"He said with a grin. Evangeline gritted her teeth harder, her eyes twitching and her body trembling. "S-Shadow puppetry...The art of using an opponents own Shadow as strings, or any other object's Shadow for that matter. Even when there is no Shadow it still attaches..."Evangeline said quietly as she looked up at him. Kojima raised a brow, "Oh...So you know my technique eh...? Good for you little miss..."He smiled wide and slightly bent down to look Evangeline straight in the eyes but at her eye level. "Well it's time for me to say adios for now...I'll talk to ya later..."He suddenly gave Evangeline a quick peck on the lips, it made her jump and blush. "Adios Chica!"He suddenly disappeared, leaving Evangeline there speechless and redder then an apple. She closed her eyes, clenched her fists and threw her head back, "Damn it Kojima!!!!"

End Chapter One


	2. The Debt

_**Chapter Two: The Debt**_

Evangeline sat quietly on her bed in her home, thinking of what had just happened. Yesterday, an old enemy had revealed himself to her, and god only knew what he was planning. She wondered how Chachamaru was doing, she seemed quite damaged. Her arm would be replaced and she would be fine, but still she couldn't help it. She sighed and looked out the window, it was raining outside. It was only a small shower, but it soothed her mind for a moment. She stood up, rubbing her temples as she headed to her door, closing it. She was still in her school uniform, and she wanted it off and wanted to be in something a little more comfortable. She unclothed herself and put on a white silk night gown and laid herself down in bed. She closed her eyes, he was still on her mind. A thought then popped into her head, Negi and Setsuna felt the pressure of his power, so that ment he might reveal himself to them as well. She knew he wouldn't try anything to hurt them, at the moment that is. She sat up, looking back out the window, watching the rain slide down the window pane. She stared at the ground, closed her eyes and sighed heavily. She crawled under the blankets, turned onto her side and slowly fell asleep.

Setsuna ran through the rain, the only thing sheltering her was her arm. She was holding a paper bag filled with a few things Konoka needed. "Wish it wasn't raining!"She exclaimed as she continued on running, picking up speed with each passing step. Her eyes suddenly became strain as she stopped dead in her tracks, she fell to her knees. The pressure from before...It was back again, and pushing down even harder. She struggled to stay upright and tried pushing herself up. "So...Set-Chan..."A soothing male voice said quietly from behind her. "Nice to see you..."He said with a hint of sarcasm. Setsuna gritted her teeth, her eyes quickly examining the area around her. She pushed herself off the ground, gritting her teeth hard. "D-Damn..."She uttered silently as she turned, trying to see this mysterious figure. Her eyes went wide after she saw Kojima standing there, it almost made her want to jump clear out of her skin. "Are you having trouble standing up Set-Chan? Oh, well then let me help you..."Kojima suddenly disappeared, using a Shunpo technique to appear right in front of her. She twitched while he outstretched his hand to grasp at her neck. She quickly slapped his hand away and jumped back. As soon as she landed, she stumbled slightly and bumped into something.

A hand grasped around the back of her neck suddenly, apparently what she had bumped into was Kojima. She let out a silent yelp as her eyes grew wide. She clenched her fists, trying to raise them. The pressure was getting heavier, and her arms felt like they were lifting three tons of cinder. She bit down on her lip, "K-K-Kojima! S-Stop!"She managed to say. He lifted her up, letting her dangle there in his hand. He grinned, "Stop?"He chuckled, the pressure was suddenly gone. He dropped her and she fell quickly to the floor, landing face first in the wet pavement. A small trickle of blood ran down from her nose, she banged it slightly against the pavement and this just happened to be the outcome. "Well Set-Chan, last time I did that you had me on my back in mere seconds, why are you the one on the floor now?"Kojima said quietly. Setsuna growled low, jumping up and taking a stance. Kojima raised his hands defensively, "Calm yourself...I won't attack you anymore...For now..."He crossed his arms, tilting his head slightly to the side. The rain was getting harder and pelted down on the both of them. Setsuna kept her stance, she would not let her guard down for a moment around him. She glanced down towards his legs, trying to find his Shadow. "Damn it..."She said quietly, she couldn't tell. The sun was blocked out at the moment, so for all she knew his Shadow could be right behind her and ready to strike.

Kojima sighed, "Well it is obvious why we cannot talk, keep acting like this and soon no one will want to be around you," "You're one to talk heathen!"Setsuna snapped back at him. Kojima laughed, "Good ol' Setsuna, as fiery as ever..."Kojima said with a grin as he turned his back to her. Setsuna blinked, becoming a bit less tense but still stood her ground. "Kojima! Why are you here? You have no reason to be here on the human plains!"Setsuna exclaimed, watching him carefully also. Kojima took a deep breath, "I'm here to repay a debt...As for how I'm doing that, well you'll just have to find out..."Kojima said with a nod. He stuck a hand in the air, waving it slightly. "Later Setsuna...Tell Negi-Kun I said hi...Will ya?"Kojima disappeared. Setsuna fell to her knees, panting heavily. She gritted her teeth, she felt weak, how could she have been beaten that bad? How could she protect Konoka like this?! She slammed her fist against the ground and let out a yell.

There was a quick flash of lighting and a loud boom of thunder. Seconds after Evangeline awoke with a yell, panting heavily with beads of sweat running down her forehead. "T-That dream..."She said quietly, staring down at her blankets, still panting. "Kojima...Did he...?" "Did I what?"Kojima's voice erupted into her right ear, making her jump and scream. Kojima laughed, he was sitting on the bed next to her, a wide grin on his face. Evangeline grew red in the face with anger, "Who said you can come in here?! And who said you can sit on my bed, let alone be this close to me!"She snapped, pounding a fist on his head. "Owwww! Eva-Chan! That hurts!"Kojima whined as he flailed his arms about while Evangeline twisted her fist about on his head. Finally she ceased her attack so called and stood up from the bed. "What do you want now?"She said quietly, not looking at him. Kojima moved to the edge of the bed where she was most near, "Just came to see how you were doing of course little miss!"Kojima said nodding. Evangeline rolled her eyes, "Yeah...Sure..."She muttered silently, she remembered why she hated him so much now. "Hey...Eva-Chan...That Negi...Is he...Nagi Springfield's son?" "Hm? Why do you say that?"Evangeline said quietly, glancing down at him. "He shows a great resemblance to Nagi, and I heard that his abilities are amazing...Seeing how you've been here longer, I thought maybe you would know something..."

"Well I guess I should...but that kid is not Nagi's son!"Evangeline snapped. Of course, she was just trying to veer him away from Negi. She was lucky that he didn't know Negi was really Nagi's son. This was going to make it a bit easier for her now. "Look Kojima, whatever your here for is probably a trivial and pathetic reason, so you should go back from where you came..."Kojima suddenly grasped Evangeline, holding her by the arms, it made her jump and yelp silently. "It is not trivial or pathetic! My debt needs to be settled!"He hung his head low for a moment, his grip on her arms began to loosen. She stared at him with a slightly gaping mouth, what had gotten into him and what kind of trouble was he in now? She found it ironic that he wasn't the one here to cause random trouble. The thought of this actually being serious made her mind tick away into her thoughts. He let go of her arms, "I don't expect you to understand...I'll come back one day to tell you..."He said quietly and turned away from her. He sighed and suddenly disappeared. Evangeline stood there for a moment as another flash of lighting and another loud boom of thunder struck the air. She closed her eyes, what kind of trouble was brewing up now...?


	3. The Final Introductiuon

_**Chapter Three: The Final Introduction**_

Not a very interesting title, but hey; I do what I can. Anyway, hello there! This is the first beginning comment I left for this Fanfic! Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying the story thus far. And I received a comment earlier asking if Kojima would be a Gary-Sue, although I will not tell you his weakness; he does have one and it can be easily exploited. So there ya are! In later Chapters you will notice it, I gurantee it. Now then, onto the story shall we!?

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Negi yawned heavily as he rose from bed; rubbing his eyes gently. He looked around the room, Asuna wasn't in her bed, she was on her paper route, and Konoka was still fast asleep. He rubbed his eyes once more and looked out the window, it was still dark outside. He grumbled, he had awoken early today which rarely ever happened. He slipped on some slippers and stood up from his futon, walking over to the ladder that led down to the floor. He turned and began climbing down. Once he climbed down he proceeded to stare out the window. Tonight was beautiful, the moon was full and stars littered the night sky. Negi smiled then looked down, he blinked. Setsuna was standing down below and heading inside the building. Negi turned away from the mirror and walked to the door, opening it slowly and gently. He closed it softly in order to not make a loud ruckus. He then proceeded off to meet Setsuna halfway. Setsuna was about halfway to the room when she met Negi. Setsuna just stared at him for a moment, she wasn't expecting him to be up.

"Setsuna-Chan, what are you doing here so early?"Negi asked quietly. Setsuna blinked, clearing her throat afterword. "N-Negi-Sensei….Please follow me, we have much to talk about…."Setsuna said while turning away, walking back toward the entrance of the building. Negi looked confused, he wondered what could be on her mind. Nonetheless, he followed after her. Setsuna just outside the building, right infront of the doors actually. Negi walked out, the cool night air made him shiver slightly in his Pajamas. He yawned slightly as he looked to Setsuna, "What's going on?"Negi asked calmly. Setsuna cleared her throat again, "Negi-Sensei….You remember how….How I came back with wounds correct?" "Yes…." "Well….The person who attacked me….He's here for you as well…."She said with a nod. Negi blinked, "Why would he be here for me?"He asked. "I'm not sure, I don't even know why he's here…."Setsuna crossed her arms and sighed. Negi thought for a moment, what other reason would some person come and find him? He grumbled, nothing came to mind as of yet, probably because he was tired still. "Why did he attack you Setsuna-Chan?"Negi asked finally. Setsuna blinked, staring at the ground for a moment. She then looked up, "As of now, I cannot tell you….Maybe later, when the time is right….All I can tell you now…."She turned away from him. "Negi-Sensei, be careful….And please, when I am not around please watch over Ojou-Sama for me…."She nodded then began walking away.

Negi blinked, "W-Wait! That's all you wanted to tell me?"Negi exclaimed, taking a step toward her. "That was all, try to get some sleep Negi-Sensei!"She exclaimed as she continued walking off, soon she disappeared all together. Negi just sighed and turned around, taking a deep breath as he headed inside. As soon as he entered the building, he noticed a figure standing about ten feet away from him. "Negi….Springfield…."The figure said quietly. Negi blinked, he already knew that this was the man Setsuna spoke of. "Who are you?! And why did you attack Setsuna-Chan?!"Negi exclaimed loudly. "That is none of your concern,"The figure said quietly, stepping forward slightly. The light from the moon revealed him to be infact, Kojima. "What are you doing here?" "Mearly introducing myself…."He stepped forward. Negi stepped back, he was being cautious, so far he was noticing this guy would be no push over. Kojima laughed, "Cautious eh? Just like your pathetic Father…."Kojima uttered silently. Negi twitched, "What do you know of him?! Do you know where he is?!"Negi jumped forward, getting in his face practically. Kojima raised his hands defensively, "Whoa there...Calm down there….Least I know I was right,"Kojima said with a grin. Negi blinked, realizing Kojima said that to trick Negi into confessing he was his Nagi's son. Kojima chuckled once more, "Negi Springfield….A battle is coming….But there is two roads that lead to a different ending….One road, you lose the battle, but win….You must win though, but in doing so you will lose…."Kojima stepped back, his figure being covered by the Shadows. Negi looked confused, "Lose but win? Win but lose? Why are you speaking in riddles?!"Negi exclaimed, getting slightly annoyed. Kojima just chuckled, "In due time Negi-Kun….We shall meet again,"Kojima's figure suddenly disappeared into the Shadows. Negi stood there quietly, dumbstruck and in deep thought. Kojima's words were buzzing in and out of his head like an annoying fly that one couldn't kill. He gritted his teeth, kicking the ground with his foot. He wanted to know what this was all about, and what battle?! What the hell is going on?!

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Well there ya go! End of Chapter Three! Hope ya liked it! Leave comments! I enjoy them! Adios Amigos y Amigas! ((If ya don't know Spanish….Well, I just said bye basically….))


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